Connecticut Sales Tax Calculator

One statewide rate, no local sales taxes

Connecticut is one of the simplest sales tax states for shoppers: the general rate is 6.35% everywhere, and cities and towns cannot add their own sales tax. The Department of Revenue Services (DRS) sets and collects the tax. A receipt in Hartford and a receipt in Greenwich are taxed at the same 6.35% rate.

The complication is that Connecticut uses several different rates for particular kinds of purchases, from 1% up to 9.35%. Knowing which one applies matters more than knowing where you are.

Connecticut's special rates

How the luxury rate works on a car

The 7.75% rate applies to vehicles priced over $50,000, and the DMV charges it on the whole price, not just the part above the threshold. Taxable add-ons count too: if they push the selling price over $50,000, the higher rate applies. A $49,000.00 car is taxed at 6.35% for $3,111.50. A $52,000.00 car is taxed at 7.75% for $4,030.00. Crossing the line by $3,000.00 adds $918.50 of tax. Buyers near the threshold should check the final taxable price carefully, including options and fees.

The same all-or-nothing structure applies to jewelry over $5,000 and clothing, shoes and accessories over $1,000.

What is exempt

• Food products for human consumption, such as groceries. Meals, carbonated drinks, candy and alcohol are not covered by the exemption.
• Prescription medicines, syringes and needles.
• Many nonprescription medicines, including products for coughs, colds, asthma and allergies, vitamin and mineral concentrates, dietary supplements, and natural or herbal medicines. DRS lists the exempt categories under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 12-412.
• Newspapers, and magazines sold by subscription.

Sales Tax Free Week

Connecticut's Sales Tax Free Week runs each August. In 2026 it was its 27th year, running from Sunday, August 16 to Saturday, August 22, 2026. Most clothing and footwear priced under $300 per item was exempt, a higher limit than in earlier years.

Athletic or protective clothing and footwear designed mainly for sport or protection does not qualify, and nor do accessories such as jewelry, handbags, luggage, umbrellas, wallets and watches. The limit applies per item: a $250 coat is exempt; a $320 coat is fully taxed. Online orders paid for during the week qualify even if delivered later.

Use tax on out-of-state and online purchases

Use tax rates mirror sales tax rates. If you buy taxable goods out of state, or online without being charged Connecticut tax, you owe use tax at the matching rate, for example 6.35% on general goods. Individuals report it on their income tax return (Form CT-1040 or CT-1040NR/PY) or on Form OP-186, the Connecticut Individual Use Tax Return, no later than April 15 for the previous year's purchases. Goods and services that are not subject to Connecticut sales tax, such as groceries, are not subject to use tax either.

Worked example: you order a $900.00 desk from a small out-of-state seller that charges no tax. You owe $57.15 of Connecticut use tax. If you had properly paid another state's tax of 4%, DRS limits the use tax to the amount by which Connecticut's tax exceeds the tax already paid: $21.15.

Worked example: a mixed Connecticut receipt

Connecticut receipts often mix exempt and taxable items at different rates. Take a supermarket trip with $60.00 of groceries, $8.00 of soda and candy, and a $12.00 hot prepared meal from the deli counter.

• Groceries: exempt, $0.00 tax.
• Soda and candy: not covered by the food exemption, so taxed at 6.35%: $0.51.
• Prepared meal: taxed at the 7.35% meals rate: $0.88.
• Total tax: $1.39 on an $80.00 bill, an effective rate of 1.74%.

Connecticut compared with nearby states

Connecticut's 6.35% rate is just above Massachusetts' 6.25% and below Rhode Island's 7.00%. New York's state rate of 4.00% is lower, but local taxes bring its average combined rate to 8.54%, above Connecticut's.

Vehicles, boats and military buyers

Vehicle purchases show how much Connecticut's category rates matter. A $35,000.00 car is taxed at 6.35%: $2,222.50. A nonresident active-duty service member buying the same car pays the 4.5% military rate: $1,575.00. Above $50,000, the 7.75% luxury rate applies to the whole price, so a $60,000.00 SUV costs $4,650.00 in tax.

Boats get a lower rate. Vessels, vessel motors and boat trailers are taxed at 2.99%, so a $40,000.00 boat carries $1,196.00 in tax, compared with $2,540.00 at the general rate. Because Connecticut has no local sales taxes, these amounts are the same anywhere in the state.